Johannes van der Tuin (Of the Garden) was born in January 1847 in the village of Oudeschoot, located a few miles south of Heerenveen, in the midsouthern part of the Dutch northern province Friesland. He was the first of six children and two sons of Jan Johannes van der Tuin (20 years old, laborer) and Hiltje Sikkes Hoeksma, named after his grandfather Johannes Linses van der Tuin.

From March 1867 until May 1872 he served in the Dutch army. He was 1 m 61 cm long, had an oval face, high forehead, blue eyes, ordinary nose and mouth, and brown hair and eyebrows.

In May 1888 the 41 years old farmhand Johannes van der Tuin married his 20 years younger maid Margje Groen. From April 1889 until September 1892 they had the children Jan (John), Johannes (Hannes) and Hiltje (Hilda) in house number 25/2 in the dairy farmers village of Oldelamer, municipality Weststellingwerf, located in the southern part of the Dutch province Friesland. In 1889 and 1892 Johannes was a laborer, in 1890 a merchant.

In the Population Register 1880-1890 his wife Margje was noted Christian Reformed and Johannes at first Dutch Reformed, but later on this was changed to Christian Reformed. It's obvious that Margje persuaded Johannes to adopt her religion.

On 24 March 1893 Johannes' family left their home in Oldelamer for emigrating to North America, South Dakota, Charles Mix County, Edgerton. April 7, 1893 the following family arrived on the ship Veendam of the Holland America Line (HAL) from Rotterdam at the port of New York, Ellis Island: Johan van der Tuin, 46 years old, farmer, his wife Marrigje van der Tuin (26) and their children Jan (3), Johan (2) and Hiltje (6 months) van der Tuin. Their last residence place was Wolvega, the seat of the municipality Weststellingwerf, Friesland, NL, and their destination was South Dakota. Very probably they travelled by train from Wolvega to the port of Rotterdam. They had 7 pieces of baggage with them. On the same ship and date the family of Margje Groen's parents and their five children (siblings of Margje) emigrated from Oldetrijne (Wolvega) to South Dakota, USA. They traveled by train in a group of 32 persons, incl. the parents and siblings of Margje Groen, to the depot in Armour, the seat of Douglas County, located in the southeastern part of South Dakota, because the railroad didn't go any further yet. Henrick Kuipers brought them on two wooden farmer's wagons with all their belongings to the small farmer's place [Old] Platte in the neighboring, more west lying Charles Mix County, not far away east of the Missouri River, where they arrived on 11 April 1893. Much more Dutch emigrants settled in Platte, almost everyone with a farmer's background. In total the Van der Tuin and Groen families traveled 12 days by sea, five days by train and two by horse and wagon. According to grandson Everett Vander Tuin they lived for some years with the family Groen in the small agrarian township of Castalia, postoffice Nieveen, located about 7-8 mile west of present Platte.
In 1900 the buildings of Edgerton, Old Platte and Castalia were moved a few miles to the place where a new railroad ended, forming the "new" Platte settlement.

In June 1894 their child Anna was born at Platte, in May 1896 Elisabeth (Lizzie), and in January 1898 Sikke (Sip) at Nieveen. Source: State Census 1905. Nieveen, named for the village Nijeveen (New Peat), located in the northeastern part of the Netherlands, can't be found anymore on the map of South Dakota, but the name Castalia Township still exists, about 8 mile west of Platte. Nieveen was lying approximately 7 mile southsouthwest of Platte.

State Census 1895: J. van der Tuin lived with his five family members in Platte Township, Charles Mix County, South Dakota. One member [Anna] was born in the USA, all the others, including Johannes, in the Netherlands.

Between January 1898 and December 1899 the family Vander Tuin moved from the Platte area about 12 miles in northeastern direction to a farm located 2,5 mile southwest of the Dutch agrarian settlement of New Holland in Clark Township, Douglas County, South Dakota, where the children Albert (December 1899), Bonne (July 1901), Jochem (July 1904, died in February 1905) and Adrian (Ed, June 1908) Vander Tuin were born.

In June 1900 Johannes Vander Tuin (53 years old, born in January 1847 in Holland, farmer), his wife Mary (34, December 1866, Holland, mother of 7 living children), their children Johannes (10, December 1890, Holland), Hilda (8, August 1892, Holland), Annie (6, June 1894, South Dakota), Lizzie (4, May 1896, South Dakota), Sippie (2, January 1898, South Dakota) and Albert (1, December 1899, South Dakota) were living at a rented farm in Clark Township, Douglas County, South Dakota.

In May 1910 Johannis Van Der Tuin (63, farmer), his wife Mary (47, mother of 1 deceased and 9 living children), and their children John (19, home farmer), Hilda (17), Lizzie (13), Sip (12, home farmer), Albert (10), Bonna (8, South Dakota) and Adrian Vandertuin (1 year and 10 months old, South Dakota) were still living at a rented farm in Clark Township, Douglas County, South Dakota.

Johannes farmed for some time also in Tripp County, 21 miles southwest of Gregory, located in southern part of South Dakota, west of the Missouri River; it seems that he bought there on 11 March 1912 160 acres of patent land (a so-called one quarter). On May 25, 1910 John Vendertuin (63, Holland, immigrated in 1894 [has to be: 1893], farmer), his wife Mary (42, Holland, imm. 1894 [has to be: 1893], mother of 1 deceased and 9 living children), their son John (21, Holland, imm. 1894 [has to be: 1893], farm laborer) and daughter Anna (15, South Dakota) were for some time (also) living at their own farm in Tripp County, Lahaye Voting Precinct, South Dakota.

According to the State Census 1915 the 67 years old John Vander Tuin was a farmer at a rented farm in Platte, Charles Mix County.

In February 1920 John Vandertuin (73, farmer), his wife Margret (53), their children John (30, farm laborer), Johannes (29, Holland, farm laborer), Anna (25), Sip (22, South Dakota, farm laborer), Albert (20, South Dakota), Bonne (19, South Dakota) and Adrian (11, South Dakota) were living in Clark Township, located immediately southwest of New Holland, Douglas County, South Dakota.

According to the State Census 1925 the 78 years old John Vander Tuin was a farmer at his own farm in the also Dutch agrarian settlement of Harrison, located just east of New Holland, Douglas County, South Dakota.

Johannes van der Tuin died in January 1927 at the age of 80 years in New Holland, South Dakota.

The Vander Tuins were and are still Christian Reformed (Gereformeerd).

Between 1940 and 1945 his sons moved to a farm 3/4 mile south of New Holland.